The University of Minnesota REU / RET physics site introduces undergraduates to forefront research in physics by having them work with research groups for 10 weeks in the summer. During this time, the program also provides a unifying support structure that encourages the students to share their experiences and results. Additional seminars provide an overview of other exciting frontiers of physics. The program also addresses issues such as scientific communication, applying to and surviving graduate school, taking the GRE, scientific ethics, and safety in the laboratory. Experimental and theoretical research topics are available in the fields of astrophysics, biophysics, condensed matter, cosmology, high energy particle physics, physics education, and space physics. To facilitate communication with talented research students from other fields, the REU students are housed a dormitory reserved exclusively for those students. They also participate in some activities of all of the summer research programs. The participants in the REU and RET program become an integral part of a research team investigating the frontiers of physics and thus directly contribute to its progress. The RET program has an indirect but perhaps larger impact on scientific manpower by reinforcing the knowledge and enthusiasm of science teachers to produce the next generation of researchers. This award is co-funded by the Division of Physics and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
